Hello!
I’m Stephen Schmidt, your Iowa City Patch Local Editor, and I want to welcome you to the new Patch, a.k.a. Patch 2.0. I'm excited for you to get a chance to play around on Patch's new platform that should just be the beginning of a better user experience.
For starter's, it's nice that the site looks a bit more like Iowa City. See that banner photo on the main page? That’s the University of Iowa Capitol Building (or part of it), a photo shot by Iowa City's favorite photographer Bill Adams before this humble news site launched two years ago. As the site develops we should be able to change the banner frequently a la Facebook.
But that big photo isn’t the only thing that’s better about Patch. Now the news looks better, is easier to comment on, and is easier to share. And right below the news on the homepage you’ll see blogs, where I can showcase more town voices and give readers a broader view of what’s happening beyond the news. Plus, we’ve made it easier to start a blog yourself -- any time, about anything.
And speaking of reader voices, the freshest thing you’ll find on the new Patch are our Boards. The Boards are a totally open place on Patch where you can post Announcements about anything you want -- lost cats and dogs, school plays, wedding announcements, or that strange thing you saw. There’s an Opinion Board -- because everyone in town has one, so why not put it all in one place? The Buy/Sell/Trade Board is where you can post your garage sale and get rid of the stuff that’s taken over your basement. And there’s a Board for Business Updates -- a dedicated spot for business owners to post news about sales, specials, openings and closings.
Patch is all about making our town better for ourselves and our families. So please, tell us what you think of the new Patch in the Opinion Board, or through the feedback form. We can’t wait to hear from you!
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